


Retaliation

by witchyzoe



Category: American Horror Story, American Horror Story: Apocalypse, American Horror Story: Coven
Genre: Angst, F/F, Reunion
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-24
Updated: 2018-10-23
Packaged: 2019-08-06 19:11:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,534
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16393520
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/witchyzoe/pseuds/witchyzoe
Summary: My take on Zoe & Madison's reunion in Apocalypse. At least what I wish would have happened. excerpt:A younger Zoe would have pulled her double-dead obsession into the nearest empty room to cry and beg for forgiveness. Now emotions were carefully masked behind contempt, biting out a response to Madison’s offer for explanation.A lot can change in four years.





	1. Mirage

**Author's Note:**

> hi! this is my first fanfic for zadison, i hope y'all like it! please leave me any comments/ideas/reviews! i'd love to hear from you. i don't have an editor so i apologize for any grammar mistakes! you can find me on twitter @witchyzoe and on tumblr at zadison.tumblr.com

**A lot can change in four years.**

 

Zoe had once asked Miss Foxx if she was the supreme and the coven laughed. Now, Cordelia Goode was without a doubt their leader. She’d also thought Kyle was her only chance at happiness. Who knew that in his untimely death she’d be able to lose the needy teenager bullshit and grow into a teacher; a strong member of the coven. Using her spot on the council wisely and graciously. 

 

**A lot can change in four years.**

 

When Zoe first arrived at Robichauxs, a scared little girl, Madison Montgomery was still a movie star. Fooling around in their tiny beds, flashes of blonde hair and toned limbs between crisp white sheets; it was all so exciting. But jealousy had taken the innocent touches and mangled them into something dark. A reprieve in a game of tag turned into the ultimate betrayal. Madison had refused to bring her back. Zoe decided the same. If her hell was Kyle breaking up with her over and over why was the sting of her roommate’s rejection so painful? She told herself she was better off without them both. Repeated it until she could believe it. Threw herself into spells and new witches, herbalism and fashion. Logic over emotion. Anything to fill the hole left by the wrong dead blonde.

 

**A lot can change in four years.**

 

Peace only lasts for so long. Especially when the ego of man is involved. Sitting in the dark school of warlocks she yearned for warmth, the sun on her skin. She had cast the darkness out of her life but it had crept back in. She disguised her discomfort with eye rolls and poise, finally releasing a breath as she strode out of the school.

 

Zoe paused along with her supreme to see who was coming towards them. Three figures. Black as night against the dust. As her doe eyes focused and shapes became figures, breath escaped her body. There was her enemy and her sister, but all Zoe could see was her lover. Lover? That’s what her brain first chose to identify the bitch as? Anger, confusion, guilt, excitement, and longing all flashed across her features until she felt her supreme drop. Zoe was shocked into reality and bent down to aid Cordelia. She wasn’t a teenager free to act on emotion, she was responsible for her leader. Reunions would have to wait. 

 

**A lot can change in four years.**

 

A younger Zoe would have pulled her double-dead obsession into the nearest empty room to cry and beg for forgiveness. Now emotions were carefully masked behind contempt, biting out a response to Madison’s offer for explanation. 

 

“Did any of you even know I was dead?” Madison said it casually. But Zoe knew the girl well enough to tell she was hurt.

 

Of course I knew. Do you care that I’m alive? You left me for dead. We should have both come back. Zoe’s head was racing, heart pounding, questions and answers dancing across her tongue. Instead, she took on Madison’s own bitchy tone and shot back: “We knew.”

 

Hurt flashed across Madison’s face but it was gone as fast as it came. A younger Zoe would have taken it back. Today she focused on the task at hand.

 

**A lot can change in four years.**

 

The test of the Seven Wonders never went over smoothly. There were much too important matters to attend to, enough for Zoe to do what she did best. Distract herself. The young witch used every ounce of her energy to focus on Michael’s attempt at the test, hoping to find a glitch; a reason to disqualify the cocky shithead. He completed the tasks one by one, but with none of the flair or excitement the witches were so fond of. Her disgust for the slander of her own supreme caused her mind to wander, right as they prepared for Concilium. Her own seven wonders playing out like a film.

 

Zoe and Madison had been at their worst. Forcing Kyle between them like a toy, the girls locking eyes with each other the whole time, ignoring the boy they were supposedly fighting over. Zoe recalled the zombie boy, with his tongue extended towards Madison’s boot. The witch had been struggling to upset Madison’s hold on him, her love for Kyle not strong enough to prevail. It was only when she locked eyes with her competitor, allowed her mind to travel to its darkest corner, where the fantasies of her and Madison embracing lay hidden, that Kyle popped up and came toward her. Her ocean eyes, wide and mean in the storm locked with Madison’s as she thrust her tongue into Kyle’s waiting mouth, powered by her purely female desire. 

 

Zoe was scared. She’d thought her power came from the light. It was in that moment she realized what she’d written off as exploration was actually the source of her strongest skill.

 

Myrtle always said testosterone impeded magic. 

 

Walking without moving her feet, Zoe was broken from her reverie. She quickly realized Michael had chosen her as his pawn. Her mind attempted to break the hold, but as the bitch in black strode towards her, she relaxed. As the two tiny girls linked arms and began to waltz, an ironic laugh played in Zoe’s head. 

 

“Michael are you clairvoyant too?” she thought with a laugh. Maybe the ass had a romantic side. Or he just wanted to watch her suffer. That was more likely. Fucker.

 

Streams of black satin and velvet danced along with the witches, swaying as their eyes locked once more. Maybe concilium was their  _ thing.  _ Made sense for two bitches who needed control. 

 

Like sundown, when cotton candy skies instantly turn black, the slow burn ending with a sudden finality, the hold was removed from the girls heads. Zoe didn’t expect to feel such a loss when they broke apart; instant anger that Michael had stolen their first touch in this new life as a spectacle for himself. 

 

“Asshole,” Madison spat out, looking past Zoe into Michael’s eyes. “You’re not as clever as you think,” she muttered, whipping her bright blonde hair as she walked with purpose back to the sidelines.

 

Zoe wondered what Madison meant, had she been thinking of them too? But her face quickly slid back into its emotionless mask, giving a bow to the audience before walking back to the crowd. She hoped Madison was surprised. The enrollment at Robichauxs had forced the little kitten to get used to eyes on her. Her meow turned into a roar; the pressure didn’t break her quite so easily. Fiona would be proud.

 

**A lot can change in four years.**

 


	2. Memories

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi! hope you guys are enjoying the story. again, sorry for any grammar mistakes. please review or message me on twitter (@witchyzoe) or tumblr (zadison.tumblr.com) to let me know your thoughts!!! wee ok enjoy!

**A lot can change in four years.**

 

A male supreme? Who would have thought? In all of the time Zoe had been at Miss Robichauxs she’d only heard from the warlocks twice. They hadn’t be so thrilled with Delia’s rounds on tv, their egos so bruised from lack of attention. Witches were cool: sexy, dangerous, women of the night. Warlocks made people think of Harry Potter. Zoe would have laughed had the structure of power not become all too fragile. The seven wonders were complete, with the added bonus of Misty Day.

 

“Should we give him a gold star?” she thought sardonically, as Cordelia held on to Misty with a fervor she’d never seen. She always knew Cordelia had been distraught over the swamp witch’s demise, but her less innocent suspicions were confirmed in their small touches. The intimacies she wished to have with her own dead girl, even if she would never admit it to herself. 

 

The subconscious is funny like that. Letting you acknowledge your own lie to yourself with a smirk that sees right through you.

 

Michael was the next supreme. He’d restored the coven and completed the test. The young girl inside her yearned to scream injustice. Wanted to tug on Cordelia’s robes and tell her she’d never had a worse feeling about a person. If he even was a person; Michael seemed too divine in nature, only his intrinsically male hubris made him mortal. The air stirred with tension, her lips parted to speak, but only a breath escaped her lips. Rationality won over emotion and she contained her fear with trust. Maybe she was naive to believe Cordelia had a plan. She’d let all these witches die in the first place. But hey,

 

**A lot can change in four years.**

 

Coven connections stretched far and wide, but having the white witch on retainer was surely a crowd pleaser. Adjusting her hat, smoothing her skirt, she let the anxiety out in little ways. Kept busy as the festivities raged on. As Stevie began to sing, Zoe allowed herself to get lost in the melody. 

 

Her eyes roamed over the room, settling first on Misty. She was brought back to the swamp, to the first time she’d heard Fleetwood Mac. Childhood in Florida had been ignorant bliss. Top 40 was all she needed, driving with the windows down, never thinking past tomorrow. It wasn’t until she’d experienced her own share of suffering that she started to get it. How hollow bubblegum pop sounds once you’ve watched someone die right in front of you. Zoe found solace in books and teaching Kyle, but Misty had relied on Stevie to empathize. Allow her to feel. Zoe hadn’t fully understood what the twirling witch had meant in her little shack, but being Zoe, she studied further.

 

That night at Robichauxs her and Madison had split a bottle of whiskey in their room, finally letting their guards down around each other. They talked family, boyfriends, bitches--no bullshit. Zoe found herself developing a fondness for her sister witch. Yet it was hardly familial. 

 

As one bottle became two, they’d started dancing around the room uninhibited; the way only teenage girls can. A light flickered in Zoe’s faded brain and she padded over to her iphone to type in “feerWood macc” on her spotify. She wanted to try and feel all the things Misty had so clearly been enamored by. Ever since she’d killed her boyfriend she’d hardly felt anything. With the help of brown liquor and the comfort of  _ understanding  _ from Madison, she figured it’d be as good a time as any to try her hand.

 

Thanking technology for understanding her typos, she smiled as the familiar beat of “Rhiannon” started to play. She’d only heard it for the first time that afternoon, but it already became nostalgic.  

 

“Fleetwood Mac? I wouldn’t have pegged you as the type” Madison challenged, some of her bite lost in the liquor. “I was up for young Stevie in a Lifetime biopic once,” she continued, her eyes looking far off, “had to listen to all this shit. Never got the appeal.” 

 

Doe eyes searched rougher ones, the kitten eyeing the cat. Zoe started to listen to the words as Madison trailed off, 

 

“ _ she is like a cat in the dark, and then she is the darkness…” _

 

With the aid of the music, Zoe’s eyes sized up her new friend. She forwent pleasantries and focused only on feeling. Desperate for something to replace the sadness, the guilt, the fear. It manifested into lust. Fascination. Desire. 

 

Madison caught her eyes, the intensity startling the starlet. Not much surprised her anymore, yet she hadn’t expected this. She sat down on the bed, a mean smile on her lips, “I think you’ve had too much little Zo. You’re staring.” The ethereal tones of the song continued as she stared back, challenging her roommate to respond. She expected the spark to burn out, but she was always up for a game. 

 

“ _ all your life you’ve never seen a woman, taken by the wind...” _

 

Emotion became action as Zoe walked intently to the bed, crawling until she was  _ thisclose _ from Madison’s face with her own. 

 

“I think I get it now,” she paused, breath heavy as she saw shock, but more importantly, excitement flash over Madison’s perfect features, “This song was written about you”

 

Maybe if Madison was sober she would have rolled her eyes. Pushed Zoe off her, called her an inexperienced kid with cheesy lines. Maybe if Zoe was sober she would have changed the song and retreated into her own bed. But they weren’t sober. And Zoe may have sounded cliche but like all cliches, it was the truth, and Madison, so used to bullshit, craved her honesty. So for once she took the fucking compliment and saved the comeback for tomorrow, choosing to allow herself one moment of kindness. 

 

Flames burned between them, tension so thick in the air between them that all resolve was lost as their mouths met in the middle. The passion of their kiss was instantly tangible, the candles in the room suddenly lit, the fire within them desperately escaping without any effort. 

 

They broke apart, Zoe’s “woah” colliding with Madison’s “holy shit” at the clear power of their coupled magic. Both girls laughed, impressed with themselves and each other, their breath of power only turning them on more. The songs continued to play as their mouths met again, tongues fighting for dominance. Madison bringing her lover down and under the covers, climbing on top, smiling. Zoe laughed with passion burning in her eyes.

 

“ _ Will you ever win…” _

 

**A lot can change in four years.**

 

With the intense feeling of someone’s eyes on her, watching her every breath, Zoe snapped back to the present. Blood bloomed in her cheeks in embarrassment of her thoughts while she was surrounded by so many people. Her eyes roamed around the room to make sure no one had noticed, and it appeared she was safe. Everyone was so consumed in their own desires for power in this trying time they were hardly focused on Zoe. 

 

Yet, she still felt the intensity of eyes on her slender frame, so she turned to look behind her. Breath escaped her as Madison’s eyes burned into her own. How could she have imagined anyone else would be looking at her with so much emotion? Enough raw power for her to feel it? Ever an actress, Madison’s face revealed nothing, no clues onto her own connections to the music, the moment, the  _ girl. _ Only her eyes revealed she even remembered Zoe at all. 

 

Zoe was paralyzed; frozen in Madison’s stare. The platinum witch somehow bore her eyes deeper into Zoe’s, before quietly leaving the room. Bravado and confidence gone, Zoe followed her. They needed to talk. How could they just continue on like nothing had happened? Careful not to draw any unwanted attention to herself, she walked swiftly out of the room. She gave into instinct and emotion for the first time that day, and allowed her power to lead her to the right room. 

 

She paused outside the door to one of the warlock’s dormitories. Promised herself to remember she had lived without Madison. She wouldn’t break down. Madison left her for dead! Zoe cloaked herself in the pain of rejection to cover her desires. With a deep breath and emotions hidden behind a blank stare, she opened the heavy wooden door.

 

Madison had no doubt Zoe would follow her and wasted no time in small talk. “Jesus Christ Sabrina, I thought you were going to cream your panties right there.” Oh it felt good to bring the bitch back. “You still into those little day of the week things? Or did this new personality come with a matching set of lingerie?” 

 

**A lot can change in four years.** But some things will always stay the same. 


	3. Reunion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ok here is the reunion!! finally. next chapter we'll get to why this is rated M. please review or message me on twitter (@witchyzoe) or tumblr (zadison.tumblr.com) to let me know your thoughts!!! it really means so much to me.

Madison’s second death wasn’t the end of power hungry witches at Miss Robichaux’s. As a teacher barely older than her students, Zoe didn’t simply command respect from appearance the way Myrtle and Cordelia did. Her presence was strong, but every so often a Fiona type would waltz through the doors expecting applause for a simple telekinetic gesture. So she adjusted. Questioning tones became confident lectures and pretty overalls turned into high fashion pantsuits. 

 

But some girls needed a firmer hand. They were convinced their powers made them god’s gift and wouldn’t respect the hierarchy. It hadn’t taken much to crush their egos. Zoe was hardly a sadist, but resemblance to Madison in any form evoked emotions she’d worked too hard to bury, forcing her to choose anger over sadness. These girls, so sure of themselves, would fire off little quips, trying to undermine her lectures or question her power. Zoe would laugh. With a flick of her fingers she’d leave them shocked and somber. One time she’d manifested a rain cloud over a student’s head for a whole week. Sometimes she’d just knock them to the ground, continuing with her lessons despite the unlucky witch's cries for help. She never went too far; never too cruel. Her position was understood and respect was earned. Once the witch bitches realized Zoe would truly help them harness their powers, they fell in line.    
  


Zoe had never seen herself as a leader, let alone a strong one, but when you’re chosen you either get with the program, or you go crazy. It was quite ironic, all these years of bravado and badassery forgotten faster than Madison’s restored powers slamming the dormitory door shut. She’d prepared herself for confrontation but there was no way to plan for reuniting with someone you thought was dead. She would know. This was hardly the first time.

 

It’d felt like hours since Madison spoke, but it’d only been a few seconds of locked eyes and burning candles. There was bite to Madison’s bitch, but it was sweet and familiar. Unique to the starlet, a charismatic charm the copycat witches had never mastered. This wasn’t simply an insult, no, it ran deeper. It was a challenge; a nectarous pleasure poised in the pain. 

 

Madison could tell the girl in front of her wasn’t the same Zoe she’d left helpless on the greenhouse table. This one had traded pigtails for perspective. Comfort for control. Underwear for lingerie. Time to see if the kitten could do more than hiss.

 

“Bet you’d like to find out,” a smile danced across Zoe’s lips as she willfully took the bait. Her town grew more playful, much like the one she’d use for a naughty student, “So why’d you bring me in here? Couldn’t stand Misty stealing your spotlight?” 

 

Madison’s eyes widened and Zoe knew she’d found a weakness. The starlet craved attention and Misty was the moon eclipsing her shine. First she’d taken Zoe’s interest, then Fiona’s, and now her return to the living was being celebrated with celebrity while Madison had to settle for a hug from the supreme who’d let her rot. 

 

Madison’s eyes settled back to neutral before she answered. “So Cordelia’s swampy girlfriend gets special treatment. You think I’ve never been there? I spent years trading blowjobs for B-list roles. She can fuck her way to the top all she wants. It’s not real power.” Zoe looked more intrigued than annoyed and Madison’s trademark confidence was restored.

 

“Real power is you following me in here, little Zo,” her voice as sweet as tennessee honey over the old pet name, “You know I left you for dead, you know I’d do it again. But you still came.” She was fueled by Zoe’s willingness, but even more she was touched. 

 

“Hear one line of Stevie and the rose colored glasses come on.”

 

She’d let it slip that her own thoughts had wandered during the performance, but the blonde wasn’t embarrassed. Double dead, she wasn’t trying to return to that hellscape of a Kmart. She wasn’t trying to send Zoe there either. In her mind, the slate was wiped clean. And there was something about this new side to Zoe that lit something within her. Broke the numbness death had left her with. Where she’d gone soft in her third chance at life, her once-roommate had hardened. But she couldn’t give in to emotion that easily.

 

Zoe’s face contorted back to anger, a new roughness in response to Madison’s words.

 

She wasn’t admitting Madison was right without a fight. Zoe knew, in the deepest parts of her soul, that she hadn’t completely evolved. As white as the walls of Robichauxs shone, she was pulled to the darkness of night. A desire to give into her fantasies. Revel in the blackness with someone else. And following her almost-murderer out of the comforts of the crowd was the first step on the path of seduction. Thrill in the terror of the unknown. Something she hadn’t studied for hours and prepared herself perfectly for. Something unsafe. She liked being scared in this way, by the girl she brought back. Madison could tell. She always had. Zoe wanted to smile, completely give herself over, but the image of her own wounds, life restored by the wrong blonde, steeled her softening heart. 

 

“You think you know everything about me. But you don’t.” Zoe stood up, face inches from Madison’s now, tempting her girl. 

 

“Good thing I’m a great teacher.” 

 

Curling one manicured finger up, then releasing it, Madison was whipped against the wall and suspended like the air out of a balloon. Zoe’s magic was fueled by her passion, strong enough to keep her witch in place. She took advantage of the wind being knocked out of Madison’s lungs, assuring her a moment of silence. 

 

“I have the power. And I’m asking the fucking questions.” She was too close to breaking and had lost patience for bitchy small talk. 

 

“Why did you leave me for dead?” Her voice was controlled.

 

Madison, still in shock from Zoe’s attack, responded in kind. “What the fuck did you expect? Did you think I really gave a shit about you?”

 

Zoe’s hold weakened with Madison’s words. They cut. Deep. 

 

“Don’t fucking lie to me,” she pushed out, using her last bit of confidence to believe Madison was just trying to hurt her. “We’re past that.”

 

Madison paused and considered her insane predicament. She’d been killed twice and some sexy scary supreme warlock dude had brought her back from literal hell. There had to be some reason whoever was in charge of this shit world had kept her around. And now she had a choice. She’d never be some kumbaya hippie dipshit crying for peace and love. But she could do something she’d never achieved in her previous lives: Trust.

 

A lone wolf, taught by nature and nurture that everyone was desperate for a piece of her, she’d only seen her value as an object. She’d never bothered with feelings or emotions because they just became something else for the producers or her parents to take advantage of. To use. And this agony for singularity and dominance had got her killed. Twice. So in the interest of a life actually worth fucking living, Madison Montgomery decided to tell the truth. They say third time’s the fucking charm, yeah?

 

Locking eyes with her now-captor, Madison spoke. “Because you chose him.” Her body may have been tied up but her mind was finally fucking free. “With you gone, I had no more loose ends.” She felt Zoe’s hold weaken as her attention intensified, Madison’s platform boots hitting the floor as Zoe’s hardened exterior began to melt. Encouraged, she continued. 

 

“I could be Supreme. Continue on as the head bitch, no feelings to make me weak. Fiona 2.0” 

 

She laughed as the absurdity of that plan and her current situation became much too apparent. 

 

“We both know how that worked out. But now I’m back and so are you, and a shit is clearly about to hit the fan.” 

 

Light eyes looked up at Zoe, the flames of the blazing candles reflected in them. “So why’d you leave me? Seems like you’re a big righteous council member now. Worried I’d ruin your perfect fantasy?” The bite had returned to her voice, building back up a wall in response to Zoe’s silence, the question of her own death unanswered. 

 

“Same thing.” A million thoughts were raging through Zoe’s head at Madison’s confession. But if Movie Star Montgomery could be honest, she might as well fucking try.

  
“Do you know how much it fucking hurt? Knowing it was you?” She was showing her pain, laying out like scars on her skin. But with brute honesty came power. A wanting instead of whining. 

 

“When I found out you were dead, I knew I could go live the happy life the scared girl inside me had been so desperately craving. Good teacher with a sweet boyfriend. The darkness was gone.” She laughed satirically at what they both already knew: “Turns out I like the darkness. When Kyle died I got stronger. I could turn off my emotions.”

 

Zoe turned, breaking their intense gaze, to start pacing. It was all too much. “I’m not the same girl you knew, Madison.” 

 

The truth was out and the tension hung in the air, thicker than the Louisiana mud that’d once healed them both. Both witches made choices they’d thought would make them stronger. Turn off the emotions that made them rash, weak. But as the flames bounced from candle to fireplace, it was clear that power only exuded from their union. 

 

“Good. I’ve changed too,” Madison echoed as she walked towards Zoe. Kyle was gone and Zoe didn’t even seem upset. There was no reason to hold back. “Listen. Any dipshit with half a brain can see that something awful is about to go down.” Madison paused to grab onto Zoe, force her still and pay attention.

 

Zoe gave into the smaller blonde’s touch, a fire burning where Madison’s fingers dug into her skin. She wanted to listen, she really did, but between all the insanity from dead girls walking to actual honesty, she was done talking. Zoe Benson had become a woman of action. 

 

Unaware, Madison continued. “Clearly we have some real fucking power between us. Let's keep it that-----”

 

Her sentence was cut short with something so much fucking better. Zoe had finally given in, threw herself willingly into the sweetness of the dark, going full force as she wrapped her fingers into the soft strands of Madison’s hair. Her pouty lips met Madison’s mid sentence, only allowing her girl a second of understanding before plunging her tongue inside Madison’s wet mouth. Fire blazed around them at the perfect holy union, ethereal feminine energy alive in its truest form. Their tongues battled for dominance, tiny hands grabbing at black fabric in fruitless attempts to rid the other of her clothes. Feelings of soft, taught skin under beautifully bruised lips worked to rid the loneliness and replace it with a deep desire. 

 

Finally breaking apart for air, the two witches locked eyes with a ferocious intensity. Zoe, evolved as ever, couldn’t help the ‘woah’ that escaped her lips, as Madison’s own familiar ‘holy shit’ tumbled out. It was as good as they imagined, better even, genuine smiles tugging at their lips. Surprisingly comfortable in her dominant position, Zoe wasted no time in meeting Madison’s lips once more. 

 

If this was what lay in the dark, she’d give herself willingly every time. 

 


End file.
